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I welcomed the first of the New Year in with 2 great friends of mine from Mizzou (Chiara and Vanessa) who came to Scotland for a visit! In
a weeks time the three of us traveled all through the beautiful highlands of Scotland. Starting in Edinburgh, then to Pitlochry, up to Inverness, and then down to Loch Ness (unfortunately we didn’t see the monster). Next we went up to the Isle of Skye and then back down to Edinburgh! We got a great deal with the bus company to take us all around, stayed at some lovely youth hostels, met some other fun travelers, went on some amazing walks, saw a lot of sheep, brilliant castles, distilleries, and we and laughed A TON! I was also able to bring them to Bethany where they were warmly welcomed by both staff and residents. It was great to be able to share with them what I’ve been up to over here and have them meet some of the people I have grown so close to.One week later I was in Wales for my second conference with Time for God. While it was fun to meet up with other UK volunteers to hang out and share experiences, I was feeling really anxious to get back to Edinburgh by the end of the week. Mostly because I think being away from the centre for so long (especially after a weeks holiday prior to the conference) made me really miss it! I was feeling pretty disconnected from the guys lives and couldn’t wait to catch up and get back in my normal routine at the centre.
On top of that, the whole week my mind kept coming back to what happened the night before I left for the conference. It was about 8:30pm and I needed to head up to the bus station to pick up another volunteer who is working up north as we were traveling together to the conference the next day. Because it was extremely windy, cold, and rainy, I decided it would be a good idea just to take the bus up the street (even though it’s only about a 15 minute walk to the main station!).
I was a little annoyed when I got off a stop too early and had to walk the rest of the way because I was almost late already. As I quickly treaded up the street I passed 3 homeless people all sitting together on the sidewalk. I couldn’t help but notice the man sitting in the middle of 2 others under a blanket. His eyes were glazed over, he was drooling a bit from his mouth and he wasn’t responding well to the other 2 who were trying to speak to him. Considering this man did not look well at all and the weather was absolutely horrible, I thought I would stop and chat with them to make sure everything was okay and to see if they had a place to stay that night. We chatted for a short while but they were not interested in the night shelter provided through Bethany and they assured me more than once that everything would be fine with their friend, he was just feeling sick. “Ok” I thought, “I guess that’s all I can do for now.” I left.
About 5 steps later I turned around again. Something definitely didn’t feel right. I asked if I could call anyone for them; the police maybe or an ambulance? After a couple times of asking they agreed it would probably be a good idea if I dialed 999 emergency so this man (Kenny) could see a doctor. I was very happy to do so. The phone call went through right away and they said they would be there soon. Unfortunately, right as I hung up the phone the two people on the ground next to Kenny were afraid they couldn’t feel his heart beat. They started to panic.
At this point I started getting really scared as well. I’ve been certified in CPR for almost 8 years now but I’ve never had to use it. Fortunately that night I didn’t have to either. I don’t believe Kenny ever stopped breathing fully but just to make sure I bent down to try and check for a pulse. Thankfully I heard him groaning very quietly but he definitely seemed to be getting worse quickly. Still scared, I dialed 999 again and started asking for help from people who were passing by on the street. One lady who seemed about my age stopped and I gave my phone to her to speak as I had heard a recorder tell me twice not to hang up and I was “in a queue waiting to speak to emergency personnel!” I kneeled back down to try and calm down Kenny’s friends but really had no idea what to do or say that could calm them down at this point so I just prayed for Kenny. I could hear the sirens in the distance soon after. Thank God!
I stayed around long enough just to speak to one of Kenny’s friends for a while longer but left to pick my friend up who was waiting for me at the bus station. I never heard exactly what Kenny’s problem was but from the looks of him, and from how the care provider dealt with him, it seemed as if he had overdosed.
I share this story with you not to glorify myself or make you feel bad for people on the streets. I shared it with you because that situation is not one that happens to me everyday but it does happen every day. It shows how God can use us when we least expect it, when we don’t feel prepared and even when we are scared out of our minds.
The crazy thing is, before this even happened, it had been on my heart earlier on in the month to do more street work in Edinburgh because homelessness is a huge issue here. Without me telling that to anyone my small group leader spoke about it as well at our cell group (bible study) the next week. He had already lined up for us to get some training from an addiction support worker through Bethany. And come to find out, prior to the Addiction workers agreement to train us or even knowing we were interested, he had recently organized a training program on working with people in the streets and was praying for a group to share it with! I think God is definitely calling out for us to DO SOMETHING!
Life is good. Peace and God Bless.
**When I speak about “street work” I’m not talking about handing out money or going out to try and convert people to be Christian. I’m just talking about talking to real people, getting to know them, sharing stories, going out with the Bethany care van at night to give out hot tea and rolls, helping out with the night shelter, calling ambulances….stuff like that :) **
